


Roll a d20 for love

by OperaOtaku



Category: Sense8 (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 20:16:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5469563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OperaOtaku/pseuds/OperaOtaku
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Dear Yuletide friend,</p><p>I hope you enjoy my little offering! It's not much... especially considering how much I owe you now that I've discovered "Critical Role" through your prompts!!! It's so good!!!</p><p>Special thanks to my  amazing beta-reader Xen. You're more like a co-author than a beta, really...</p>
    </blockquote>





	Roll a d20 for love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [perdiccas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/perdiccas/gifts).



> Dear Yuletide friend,
> 
> I hope you enjoy my little offering! It's not much... especially considering how much I owe you now that I've discovered "Critical Role" through your prompts!!! It's so good!!!
> 
> Special thanks to my amazing beta-reader Xen. You're more like a co-author than a beta, really...

WILL

 

When Will finally wakes up, his whole cluster is smiling down at him. They look exhausted, bruised, and happier than he’s ever felt them be. Whisper’s eyes - which had been looking through his own for months - are gone.

“Anything exciting happen while I was asleep?” he croaks.

By his side, both hands clutching his, Riley hides her tearful smile against his palm.

***

Nomi hacked her way into smuggling Will and Riley in the country, just to be safe. As far as the world knows, Will never left the States, and Riley is still in Iceland; she just completed a law degree by correspondence and he was booked for an extensive period of time in a hot yoga retreat in California. Nomi thinks it’s funny. She and Amanita insist they stay with them, so Will and Riley spend his convalescence in San Francisco. The next few weeks are hard. The months he had to be heavily medicated have left him very weak. Luckily, Riley takes care of him. Sun makes an excellent physical therapist. Capheus sits with his through Jean-Claude Van Damme’s entire filmography.

But the further along he is in his recovery, the more restless he becomes.

Will misses Chicago. He misses his job. He misses his old life. He misses Diego.

When that thought forms clearly in his mind for the first time, he’s surprised. He really misses him. He shares an intimacy with his cluster that he could never share with any other human being, but at the same time, he misses the old him, the Monday night games and the Chicago craft beer. He misses their stupid throwing contests with the beer caps. He misses the way Diego systematically burns himself because he can’t wait to drink his first sip of coffee in the morning. The way he acts all tough and bad cop when he’s a softie inside - oh yeah, don’t think I’ve never noticed that DVD of Love actually at your place, my friend! That frown he does when he doesn’t understand something, but decides to go with it anyway. He misses his training buddy. Sun is very competent and does a good job getting him back in shape, but she’s a real badass, nothing like the bromance teasing he’s used to from his gym partner. He misses his hands on his shoulders when he lifts…

That one time at the gym comes back in his mind. Shit.

“You are in love with the man,” whispers Lito.

Fuck. It’s true.

“I’m in love with Riley.”

“I never said you were not,” says Lito. Will is sitting on their patio in Mexico, the sun is warm against his skin. “Diego is a very attractive man,” Lito continues. “One you share a deep bond with. Do not reject what you have and what it might become just because of us… come.” Lito is on his feet and is extending his hand towards Will. 

Will takes his hand and Lito pulls him close to him. Lito lifts his left hand and places his right on Will’s back. Will can feel Lito’s stubble on his cheek. 

He steps forward and Will moves back, keeping their position the same. “Your partner is like a delicate flower, hold it too tight and you will crush it, too loose and it will slip away.”

Will knows the motions. They dance in silence, only listening to their heartbeats. “Do you think you could do that with anybody apart from us?” Lito asks.

Yes. With Diego.

Will is back in San Francisco. He’s in the living room with Riley, who’s looking right at him. “We’re going to Chicago,” she says. She doesn’t give him a choice.

 

DIEGO

Six months can be a long time. Especially when your partner and best friend is on leave of absence because of a mental breakdown, that you don’t have any news from him whatsoever - not that you’re really worried or anything, it’s just that you miss him, a lot -, and that your new partner is a complete and utter moron. 

Diego and Will’s relationship has always been easy. Right off the bat, they bonded over similar interests; football, training, beer - the simple things. When Will started hearing voices, sure Diego’s first reaction was “Dude, you’re crazy”, but as it got weirder and weirder, it became… good crazy? It was like discovering this whole other side to a friend that had been in his life for years; it was fascinating. At some point he stopped questioning his friend’s reactions; he accepted him, as strange as he might seem. And for all his loyalty and open-mindedness, Diego was left behind. When Will got suspended, he took a leave of absence, and just left. Diego came, a pack of beer in hand, to his place and he was gone. He let himself in using the spare key hidden in the flowerpot - really, who does that in this day and age?! - and it looked like Will had left in a hurry; passport, cash and the bare minimum were gone. He needed to run. And he hadn’t told his friend why, or where.

***

It’s almost closing-time and Diego is punching his frustration in one-two combos at the gym. The punching bag shakes from the heavy blows, as sweat flies from the impact of Diego’s fists unto the leather bag. He hears a familiar voice behind him. “What’s up D?” … and here’s Will with his big smile, walking towards him.

Diego catches his breath. “The fuck, man? Where have you been?” he says. He wants to tell him he missed him, that Will was a complete jerk for disappearing, that whatever shit he was dealing with, his best friend would always have been there for him, but he stays silent. He just looks at Will. He’s lost weight. He’s smiling, but he feels odd. 

Will’s face turns serious as he says “The chief is putting me back on duty, you’ll have your old partner back if you want to.” “If you want to.” he repeats. Will is shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Sure.” Diego says. He shrugs, he knows Will dodged his question, but his heart is leaping inside him. “You owe me a few rounds though.” He punches his gloves together. A smile is back on Will’s face, but it’s not exactly his.

***

Diego is sprawled on the mat. Will is besides him. They’re breathing heavily. He knows he’s gonna hurt all over tomorrow morning. “Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that Ra’s al Ghul taught you kung-fu for the past six months?!” The lights of the gym turn off in a loud click. The manager probably left; they’ll have to close the doors behind them when they leave. The city lights project shadows through the windows. Everything’s silent but for their breathing. Will is smiling, again. “It’s Hapkido, not kung-fu. I missed you too, man.”

***

They avoid talking about what happened in those six months. Diego knows that whatever happened to Will, it changed him. At some point, he’ll talk, when he’s ready, but for now Diego is just happy that his partner is back. 

Will is completely unphased by it, but the weird things keep happening. Apart from Diego though, no one seems to notice those things. There’s the occasional grammatical mistake of referring to himself as a plural - no, that does not make you look like a complete schizo, my friend, not at all!!! - that people notice, but the rest flies under the radar, and it’s those little things that freak Diego out.

Will knows how to cook.  
Will color-codes everything.  
Will meditates.  
Will types police reports fast, with more that just two fingers.  
Will quotes B movies.  
Will is very excited about the 5th edition of D&D  
Will speaks fluently several languages.  
Will doesn’t have a personal bubble.  
Will has a girlfriend.

This last fact comes to light when the girl in question walks into the precinct, ignoring everybody as if she owns the place, and unceremoniously drops Will’s lunch on his desk. They kiss and she turns back. Diego sidesteps to let the petite blonde pass. He looks at Will who’s grinning, and back at her. She’s stopped in her tracks near the reception desk and she’s looking at him. She’s looking. She laughs and leaves.

“Did your girlfriend check me out?!” Diego asks bewildered. Will blushes.

***

“Stop the car!” Will shouts. He’s out of their patrol car before Diego can think. He reaches back into the car, snatches Diego’s donut and runs into a shop. When he comes back, he proudly hands Diego a pink cardboard box. Inside is a variety of squares and balls of bright colour. The smell of spices fills the car. “Try the Imarti, it’s delicious!” Diego follows Will’s gaze and reaches for a bright colored spiral he hadn’t seen at the bottom of the box and bites into the crispy sweet. Sugary syrup erupts in his mouth. His surprised face is Will’s reward.

They end their shift in a sugar rush, talking about old times, when Will suddenly blurts out “Do you play Dungeon & Dragons? Do you wanna come over to our place tonight?” 

“I played when I was a kid, yes, but when you say that you mean the place of plural you, or the place you and your girlfriend share together?” Diego asks, unsure. “Both?” Will answers tentatively. “Ok.” Diego answers slowly. The ride back to the precinct is awkwardly silent. Diego’s heart is pounding, and he’s not even sure why.

 

WILL

The D&D idea comes about a few days before he leaves for Chicago. His body hurts. Thanks to Sun, his training regimen is less physiotherapy and more Rocky Balboa these days. Amanita has taken the habit of putting inspirational music while he trains. Today’s offering is Stand Up from the Galavant soundtrack :

So stand up!  
And go for glory  
Stand up!  
Or there is no story  
Stand up!  
Don't let your legend suck 

Amanita’s back rests on the sofa of their living room while gleefully singing along as Will does push-ups. “Do I look like a knight in shining armour to you?” he grunts. “Of course you do, you’re like an all-american version of a D&D Paladin!”.

“I wish I had been allowed to play when I was a kid,” says Nomi. She’s curled in Amanita’s lap, sitting on the floor. Her girlfriend ever so subtly squeezes her hand. “Wow, I haven’t played that game since high school!” says Riley, “I think we should play!”

“I sense a costume opportunity!” yells Amanita giggling. 

“Ooh! I love role play.” pops Lito. He gets a smug look from Hernando, “I know you do” - wink - “No, I meant…” “I know you were talking to them, honey.”

“I’m bored, I’ll play.” Says Sun. They’re now all in solitary confinement in a Korean Prison. Sun’s fists are swollen. She has a cut on her lip. She gives them a look saying you should see the other guy.

“Isn’t it a bit childish?” asks Kala.

“Live a little. We can kill shit and hoard treasure. Count me in,” says Wolfgang.

“I have always dreamed of adventures, of being a hero. I’d like that.” Capheus replies.

“It’s not like I can do much these days anyway… why not.” And just like that, Will sets the stage for the most awesome D&D campaign ever played.

 

DIEGO

Will opens the door in a record time of 3.1 seconds after Diego rings. Diego walks in with the traditional peace offering : pizza and beer. Will makes the presentations, Diego, Riley, and on the computer screen Amanita and Nomi. That’s cool. Then the invisible friends : Kala, Wolfgang, Sun and Capheus. Less cool.

Amanita is probably the most excited DM of all times. Ambiance music, candles and several costumes at the ready, she guides the party through their adventures. They have prepared a barbarian character of appropriate level for Diego, easier to play since he missed the first few sessions.

“Ok, so with the help of half-elvish twins, Vex and Vax - I’m awesome at names! -, the party has just managed to free a dwarven little girl from an evil wizard, and now they’re bringing her back to her father, the lord of the Dwarven City of - again, I’m awesome at names! - Thunder Dome.

“I want a reward, can we get a reward from the Dwarven Lord?” asks Wolfgang. Nomi relays the message.

“Make a persuasion roll,” instructs Amanita. Wolfgang/Nomi rolls the dice.

“Ooh yeah, 16 plus modifiers, I’m smooth-talking the motherfucker.”

Amanita takes a long breath for effect and says in a rough voice “Aargh, forrr yourrr excellent serrrvice, I shall rrreward you with this enchanted Dwarrrven Warrrhammer.”

“Pirate Dwarf zero, bad-ass rogue one!” says Wolfgang triumphantly.

***

Two hours later, Will’s fear has faded away; Diego is fully immersed in the game, and everybody seems to be enjoying his night. 

Amanita’s battle music is playing. 

“How high is the ceiling of the cavern?” asks Nomi. “From what you can tell... at the very least a hundred feet,” replies the DM.

“Then it’s gonna be electricity against electricity, I cast CALL LIGHTNING on the Behir,” she says with her best Gandalf - if Gandalf was a Druid - personification. Sixteen damage.

Will narrates Sun’s actions. She kicks and punches the beast in the face, natural 1. The party is tense.

“The Behir attacks Sun, then grapples her - make a DEXT save - and ssssswallows her,” says Amanita dramatically while making deglutition sounds.

“What?! But she’s like all Shaolin dexterous!” objects Diego, “My turn, I attack - in a fury - … Nineteen on my attack roll, plus Riley’s bardic inspiration d8, plus modifiers!” he says lifting his arms in the air. “It hits,” says solemnly Amanita. “Roll for damage.”

Devastating numbers. Amanita looks at Nomi, and then at Diego on the computer screen.

“You approach the Behir and slash with your Great axe across its belly. The first strike slashes from the right upwards, SPLUURT, the second one from the left, SPLUURT, it creates a wound like an inverted V, and with your last attack, your blade goes upwards, in the wound and SPLUUUUUUUURT, you split the Behir in two.

“YAAAAAAY” they all rejoice. 

“I reach and rescue Sun from its belly and I use Lay on hands.” Will says.

“You now can all rest easy, the beast is vanquished and the Dwarven city of Thunder Dome is safe again. Which concludes tonight’s adventures.” She takes a bow under their applause.

***

 

Diego and Will are talking, they’re sitting on the couch, Will has his arm wrapped around him. They laugh recalling Amanita’s antics during the game. Riley is putting the leftover pizza in the fridge.

“I’ll leave you boys to it,” she says. She picks up the empty bottles of beer on the table and goes to rinse them in the kitchen sink. The innuendo isn’t lost to Diego. “She’s ok with this?” he asks. “We’re used to sharing.” comes the answer from the kitchen.

Will pulls Diego towards him and kisses him. Gently at first, then firmly, passionately. Will stands up and takes Diego’s hand, leading him towards the bedroom.

Lito is slouching sexily across the doorframe. He lifts an eyebrow and says “You need my help with this?”

“Thanks Lito, but I think I got that one.” murmurs Will.


End file.
